A Friend of God

By

Pastor B.J. Knefley

In James 2:23, it is stated that “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was called a friend of God. What does it mean to be a “friend of God”? If you’re unfamiliar, it comes from Isaiah 41:8, “But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham, my friend.” God called Abraham a friend, not the other way around. So, how does one get this position?

Let’s start with a definition of friendship. A friendship is based on trust, respect, support, and care. A friendship is often more potent than the bond of family. Friends usually share common interests, values, experiences, and goals. In the case of Abraham, he trusted God, which was demonstrated in various ways. Perhaps the most significant is in the story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham showed his willingness to follow God’s request right up until the moment that God provided a ram for the sacrifice. Would this describe our relationship with God, or would we be like Eve, who questioned the validity of what God had said?

This whole idea of being a friend of God also presents another idea. If I am a friend of God, is God a friend of mine? In life, we all know that sometimes friendships are one-sided. The level of trust, support, and respect is different. Some might even question whether there is an actual friendship in place. If we have entered a faith relationship with Jesus, wouldn’t that mean we have also entered into a friendship with Him? But have we? Isn’t that friendship also related to the trust of the other? If we trust, wouldn’t it seem that we would also follow just as Abraham did with God the Father? Sadly, we question and resist. We bulk at His direction and even rebel. Even the Apostle Paul struggled. He states, “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (Romans 7:24-25) The answer to this question is Jesus Christ. So, the question of friendship is that Jesus is our friend and constantly draws us into a deeper friendship with Him. Submitting to that is our problem. Think about it.